Petra's POV

I hadn't slept at all tonight, and the sun was going to rise soon, but I still stood here, waiting. Watching.

But nothing seemed to want to go my way at this point.

Just the thought of Jesse being gone....

My heart seems to ache.

It made no sense.

I had only known the girl for a day, yet it seemed like I've know her my whole life.

But I sigh, unable to just sit here any longer.

Quietly, I jump down from the broken wall, landing in the leaves of a tree.

The night was so beautiful, it made me wish that I could stay out without monsters to bother me.

But I would never admit that out loud.

I let my feet carry me along the treetops, staring down at the path below that has zombies spread throughout it.

They don't seem to notice me considering how high up I am.

But noise catches my attention.

Its faint and a bit far off, but I can tell where its coming from.

Sprinting, I jump from tree to tree and the sound of someone fighting and zombies poofing away gets louder and louder.

My feet skid to a halt.

The person fighting is surrounded by zombies all around, but there are so many that I can't make them out.

It was impossible for whoever it was to survive without help, so there was only one thing to do.

I pull out my golden sword, seeing my brown eyes reflect in the shine.

With only that I jump down, running head on into the swarm.

I take down the zombies that the person distracts, making it easy until they begin to turn on me.

"Duck!" The person shouts, sounding very familiar.

Though the voice is feminine sounding, its scratchy and slightly weak, almost as if they've been hit by a zombie til having almost no hearts left.

I do as she says, feeling something hurtle over me.

It was the girl.

We stand back to back, watching as the zombies slowly close in on us.

"So, uh, any ideas?" I ask, unable to hide the feeling of impending doom.

For a split second she is silent, before she takes hold of my arms.

"Get ready to clear a path." She states, taking one of my hands and spinning me around as fast as she can.

Next thing I know I'm hurtling towards the zombies, and as if on instinct, I simply hold my sword out, clearing a path of anything in my way.

My feet hit the ground in time to see the girl roll under the attacking arms of a zombie.

She stands next to me, giving me the chance to finally be able to see her fully.

I cover my mouth, taking a step back.

Though I killed most of the zombies with the odd move, there were still a few left, but I couldn't fight my gaze away.

It was Jesse.

Her eyes were pale, and her skin was even more so.

Her overalls we slightly dirty, like she fell into sand or something.

"Jesse!" I breathe, hugging her tightly.

She tenses up, like she hadn't expected that to happen.

As we stand there, the zombies left slowly moving towards us, I hear her odd breathing pattern.

It was raspy and laboured, like she had a terrible cold.

She smiles lightly, looking as if she has been walking for day upon days.

"Hi Petra." She mutters, finally returning my hug.

We pull apart in time to start running from the zombies.

She coughs lightly, weezing as we get closer and closer to the fortress.

The zombies eventually can't keep and and we lose them, making us slow as the fortress comes into sight.

"You guys still have Reuben.... Right?" She asks as we jump down from the hill.

Already she was worried about her brother instead of herself.

It was something to admire.

"Yeah. He's probably asleep inside with the others right now." I reply, stopping in front of the doors.

She stops beside me, turning to face me.

"Jesse, how did you survive? I mean, we all thought that you were.... Dead." I state, making her look surprised, then she sighs.

"Same here. I got caught in so many beams that I thought I would have been killed. But Gabriel saved me, telling me to go find you guys and this fortress." She answers, making me tilt my head.

Something doesn't add up here.

"Where is Gabriel?" I ask, making her look down at her feet.

I understand, leading her inside.

She leans on me slightly, which I don't mind, but it feels a little awkward.

I lead her to the large room where everyone is, only to hear voices filled with fear.

"We need to go find her! What if she is being killed right now!?" Olivia's voice cuts through first, making Jesse and I share a look.

It had obviously been days in the overworld, but for us, it seemed like it had only been a day since we last saw Jesse.

They would all learn that it was wrong.

I walk in, making all eyes turn to me.

Jesse stays outside, rubbing her arm in what I assume is nerves.

"Petra! What the hell!" Olivia shouts, running up to me, only to hit me upside the head.

"You had us all worried! Where did you go!" Olivia shouts.

Axle has his arms crossed angril while Lukas just grumbles something to himself.

Reuben is just sitting on his bed, staring off into space.

"I needed some air. I couldn't sleep, and I went out. Is there a crime in that?" I ask, wishing Jesse would come inside.

Olivia grumbles something but I can't make it out.

"Well, if it makes you all feel better I found something you may want to see." I state, not able to wait for her.

I take a back step out the door, seeing Jesse leaning heavily against the wall.

I take her arm, making her jump slightly before pulling her into the room.

She doesn't really seem okay with what I just did, but the others just stare in shock.

Reuben finally snaps out of his daze, letting his jaw drop in surprise.

"How are you even.... Here?" Lukas asks, as shocked as the rest of us.

She sighs, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Gabriel. He saved me and told me to run, and find you, and the order." She explains, making them all confused.

Axle desides to take what everyone is thinking to words.

"So where is Gabriel?" He asks, crossing his arms.

Jesse rubs her temples, hating the constant fire of questions.

"Please, can I just rest, maybe get some food? I haven't eaten in days." She mutters, making all of them look skeptical.

Reuben walks up suddenly, making Jesse smile lightly at her brother.

"Can't you all see she needs out help? Why are you stopping and thinking about this?! Does she have something to prove to you all?" He growls, making us all shocked.

Obviously Jesse meant a huge deal to Reuben.

He takes her hand, leading her towards one of the beds.

"Come on guys. Reuben is right. How many times does Jesse have to prove what Ivor said was a lie?" I ask, my eyes blazing.

They all seem to hang their heads as I walk over to Jesse, only to hear something I probably wasn't meant to.

"Jesse, what is that?" Reuben whispers, making me hide behind some stone nearby.

Jesse sighs, sounding like she isn't herself.

"I'm not entirely sure Reub. But we can't tell the others." She mutters, moving her shirt down over her waist.

He seems to snort.

"And why not? They're from here Jesse! They might know what's wrong with you!" He whisper shouts, making me more confused than ever.

What did he mean by that?

Aren't they from here too?

I slump against the block, hearing what Ivor said in my mind over and over.

He couldn't be right......

Could he?

.....

Oh Petra..... So hey all! Thanks for reading this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it. Now, what do yo I think of Petra's little thoughts there? Is she starting to doubt Jesse? What about Olivia, didn't she just say she thought Jesse was one of them? Or Lukas? What about Reuben? Is he going to reveal the truth about where he and Jesse come from without even realizing it? Find out soon.....

-ThePurpleWarrior